SLNS Parakramabahu (P625)

SLNS Parakramabahu is a Type 053H2G class patrol vessel of the Sri Lanka Navy. The ship is the second ship named after King Parakramabahu I, the warrior king of the medieval Sri Lankan Kingdom of Polonnaruwa. Gifted by the People's Liberation Army Navy, she was commissioned in August 2019, classed as an Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel.

History

Built in 1991, the ship was commissioned in July 1994 as Tongling in the People's Liberation Army Navy and served until it was decommissioned in 2015. Refitted all three ships of its class were transferred to the China Coast Guard, while Tongling was transferred to the Sri Lanka Navy in 2019. The ship retained its gun armament of a PJ33A dual 100 mm gun and four Type 76A dual-37 mm AA guns; while its missile armament of 6-cell HQ-61 surface-to-air missile system and 6-box launchers for the YJ-83 SSM have been removed. It retains the Type 343 fire-control radar of the 100 mm gun and optical fire-control for the 37mm guns.

Operations

Based at the SLN Dockyard in Trincomalee under the Eastern Naval Command, there had been speculation that the ship has been facing problems and haven't had any deployments in early 2021. A Chinese team had visited the ship in March 2021. The navy confirmed that the ship was operational and the Chinese team had visited to routine maintenance and running repairs.